Wick for oil burners



Jan. 1o, 195o A. M. GQODLOE 2,493,961

l IN Ill Il IIII III H Patented Jan. 10, l 1950 WICK FOR OIL BURNERSAlfred M. Goodloe, Upper' Montclair, N. J., as-

signor to Metal Textile Corporation, West Orange, N. J., a corporationof Delaware Application January 22, 1948, Serial No. 3,688

l1 Claim. (Cl. 67-69) This invention relates to an improved wickstructure for use in oil stoves for cooking and heating Vand in othertypes of heating equipment and burners which burn liquid fuel.

In the use and operation of equipment of the wick fed liquid fuelburning type, such e. g. as an oil stove, an objectionable feature isthe relatively long interval yof time which must elapse, after oil isadmitted to the wick supply sump, before the Wick attains suiicientsaturation to permit lighting and a rate of combustion of the oiladequate to heat the burner device sufficiently to provide the desiredblue ame combustion effect. It has been observed that the elapsed timeinterval frequently runs from fifteen to twenty minutes. The delayinvolved is, to a considerable extent, due to the slow rate of capillaryaction possessed by Wicks of the Woven or braided yarn type which haveheretofore been most commonly used.

Having the foregoing in view, it is an object of this invention toprovide a novel wick structure which possesses a very high rate ofcapillary action perpendicularly therethrough with a minimum of delayingspread transversely of the wick structure, so that the oil moves veryrapidly upward through the wick body, by the most direct paths from thebottom to the top thereof; the travel time required for upward movementof the oil from the bottom to the top of the wick bodyY being reduced toa matter of seconds.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel wick structurewhich, in addition to its possession of a very high rate of capillaryaction from bottom to top thereof, is formed from substantiallynon-combustible material which will not char, thus providing a wick oflong life character, and one which avoids necessity for trimming orfrequent cleaning.

' Other objects of this invention, not at this timer more particularlyenumerated, will be understood from the following detailed descriptionof the same.

Illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary face view of one form of wick structure madeaccording to this invention; and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectionalView thereof, taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary face view of a modified form of the Wickstructure according to this invention; and Fig. 4 is a verticalVcross-sectional View of the same, taken on' line ll-fl in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary face view of another modified form of the wickstructure of this invention; and Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectionalView of the same, takenron line 6--6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary face view of the wick body per se, overlyinglayers or strata of the material thereof being successively broken awayto disclose successive underlying layers or strata of the same.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above describedviews, to indicate corresponding parts. y

The wick structure of this invention is Well adapted for use in liquidfuel burners, such e. g.

as in the well known types of burners with which oil-stoves areequipped. In such oil-stove burn-k ers, the Wick rises between the wallsof the burner from a sump supplied with a liquid fuel, usually keroseneoil. The bottom marginal portions of the wick are submerged in the oilcontent of the sump, and the oil rises through the wick body bycapillary action to the top edge of the wick, where it is ignited.Initial combustion of the oil upon ignition of the wicl; functions toheat the burner walls, whereby thereafter the heat radiated from thelatter is effective to vaporize the oil more rapidly at the top of thewick, so that the Vaporized oil thereafter burns with the desired blueflame of maximum heating efficiency and under conditions affectingsubstantially complete combustion. f

In the generic aspect of this invention, the body A of thewick'structure according to the invention is composed of a fiat mass ormat, of selected thickness, formed from spun glass fibers or laments.Said glass fibers or filaments are disposed to extend substantiallyVperpendicularly between the bottom and top edges of the mass or mat.The mass or mat is built kup by a selected number v ofsuperimposedlayers of strata of glass fibers orv filaments according tothe ultimate thickness of wick body desired to be formed; sucharrangement being illustratively shown in Fig. 'I by the superposedlayers or strata It, II, I2, I3, I4 and l 5.V Preferably, the glassfilaments or fibers comprising alternate layers or strata arerespectively arranged in oppcsitely slightly oblique disposition, sothat the laments or fibers of one layer or stratum cross those ofadjacent layers or strata at very acute angles but slightly inclinedfrom the perpendicular. Asa result of this, the mass or mat which formsthe wick body possesses a pronounced grain running substantiallyperpendicular to and between the bottom and top edges of the wick body.The glass filaments or fibers of the stratified mass or mat, by whichthe wick body is formed, are suitably adherently bonded nular, oval orflatshapes of Wicks.

together against accidental separation, especially Where the lilamentsor fibers intersect. The stratied wick body mass is characterized by thepos session of a multiplicity of minute interstices, which extendsubstantially parallel to the fibers or laments, so that the wick bodyis characterized by an interstitial grain perpendicular to the bottomVand top edges thereof. Owing to its perpendicular interstitial grain,the Wick body possesses a strong and rapidly acting capillary capacityin the direction of its height, but little or no capillary capacity indirections transverse to its height. By reason of this, the ascent ofoil through the Wick body, from the bottom to the top thereof undercapillary action, is extremely rapid and direct, and such risingmovement of the oil is subject to substantially no delay dueto lateralor transverse spread of oil in the body.

The Wick body A, as composed of-glass bers I or iilaments in the mannerabove described, al-

though possessing considerable tensile strength in Adirections parallelto thelength of the fibers or ilaments, is of very low tensilestrengthin directions transverse to said bers or la-ments,

and consequently the wick body is easily parted,

or broken Vunder transverse stresses or strains. To protect Ythe wickbody A against disruption under transverse stresses and strains, Ithisinvention further comprehends the provision of means to reenforce thewick body in resistance to such transverse stressesl and strains.

One arrangement of wick body reenforcing means, as shown in Figs. 1 and2, comprises .strips Voi flexible wire mesh, either woven or knittedwire'mesh.V Such strips of wire mesh areapplied to opposite ia'ces ofthe wick body A. Preferably said strips are arranged to provide a lowerpair of comparatively narrow strips I6 which are disposed in mutuallyaligned relation parallel to and upwardly spaced from the bottom edge ofthe wick body, and an upper pair Yof like narrow strips ll which aredisposed in shown in Figs. 3. and 4, comprises strips of preferablyiiexible sheet metal I9, which are of less height .than the height oftheY wick body A. Said strips i9 Yare respectively applied VAto oppositefaces of the wick body in such'relation thereto as to leave marginalportions of said Wick body Y freely projectingbeyond the'bottom and topedges of said strips i9. The strips i9 are secured to the wick body, andone to the other, in any suitable manner, as e. g. bystaples 20 clenchedtherethrough. Y

Although it is preferable to apply the reenforcing means to both facesof the wick body A,

it will be obvious that the desired reenforcing effect may be, inv manycases, adequately obtained by application of the reenforcing means to aselected single face of the wick'body.

Both of the hereinabove described forms of reenforced wick bodies beingflexible, the same may be optionally wrought to provideV either an- Itwill also be observed, thatsaid wick bodies A each possess freelyprojecting bottom and top marginal portions, and consequently the sameare reversible so that either of said free edge portions may be utilizedas the top or burner edge ofthe wick structure.

Figs. and 6 show another wick structure which includes the novel wickbody A as formed from the matted substantially vertically extendingglass fibers or laments above described, the Wick body A being embracedand supported byja holder member 2l' ofA U-shape in cross-section. Saidholder member is preferably made from substantially rigid sheet metal,and the same is of less height than the height of the Wick body A, sothat when the latter is inserted within the interior of the holdermember it will stand upright between the walls of said members, with itsupper marginal portion freely projecting from the member interior,whereby to provide an exposed burner edge. The bottom portionof theholder member 2i is provided with a multiplicity of suitably sized andspaced openings 22, through which oil, from the sump in which the wickstructure stands in use, maygain access to the Vil() lower portion ofthewick body A, 4and thereupon, byA capillary action, rise through thelatter to the top .burner edge thereof. It vwill be understood that theholdermember and its contained wickV body may be formed' to provide a.Wick structure of selected shape, such e. g. as of annular, oval, orstraight form.V Y

VIt will be obvious that the reeniorcing or holding means for the wickbody A, as the case may be, is subject to considerable variation inkind, material and form, and that,fin its'br-oader aspects, the instantinvention is vnot to be deemed to be limited to the preferredillustrative forms of these elements which have been above described. j

Having now described my invention, I claim: ln a wick structure for oiland like burners, an elongated Wick'body having its longitudinal marginsdisposed to provide bottom and tcp edges, said body comprising astr-atied mass of selected thickness formed by suitably unitedsup-erposed layers of substantially straight giass rilaments, thefilaments of eachlayer being disposed in parallel relation with adjacentfilaments closely abutting each other throughout their length wherebythe layer is substantially equal in thickness to the diameter of asingle iilament andv has no through interstices, the filaments of adjacent layers being oppositely and suiflciently inclined in thesubstantial planes of the respective Ylayers so as to crossl at veryacute angles and thereby proviclevertical vcapillary interstices'oigreater cross-sectional area for more rapid pullup power than'if thelilaments of adjacent layers were parallel and free to become enmeshcd.

' A ALFRED GOODLO. a

REFERENCES CITED v The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED I STATES PATENTS YWeaver Mar. 6,1945

